November 01, 2014: Remarking on the way the Diaspora has been treated, Dr. Thomson Fontaine, coordinator of the Diaspora Forum at Caricom sponsored 2007 Caribbean- Washington Conference, said the present Dominica Labour Party (DLP) administration spends millions to fly in overseas based Dominicans home to vote and then sends them back, with no further use for them until elections are due again.
“We can do better than that,” said Dr Fontaine, “the Diaspora can play a pivotal role in Dominica’s development”.
Dr Fontaine said the Diaspora already makes a valuable contribution to Dominica, with remittances that amount to more than the foreign exchange generated from exports. These remittances also come close to what tourists spend when they come to Dominica, he remarked.
The United Workers Party (UWP) has outlined an involved and important role members of the Diaspora can play in the improvement of the economy and the quality of life in Dominica.
Speaking at a Diaspora meeting with the Opposition UWP this week at the Prevost Cinemall, UWP Candidate for the Grand Fond/River Cyrique/Morne Jaune Constituency Dr Thomson Fontaine pointed to the role of the Chinese, European and Israeli Diasporas in the development of their countries.
He said the UWP recognizes the important contribution members of the Diaspora can make and, as a Government, will remove all impediments that make it difficult for returning Dominicans to do business here.
A UWP Government will seek the Diaspora’s input in the revitalization of the agriculture sector through joint investments to establish a vibrant agro-processing sector with factories that can process juices, root crops, essential oils and more.
Dr Fontaine, a former International Monetary Fund economist who returned home to contest the Parliamentary elections for the UWP in the Grand Fond Constituency pointed out, “the Diaspora’s input in investments here will help the UWP realize its plans to create 5000 jobs in three years which will in turn reduce the burden on overseas based Dominicans who sometimes heavily finance their families here”.
In the construction sector, a UWP Government will reduce the cost of construction by removing the duties and taxes on imported building materials. Dr Fontaine said this move will make it easier for members of the Diaspora to establish properties here. Financial institutions will be engaged to make financing more readily available to members of their Diaspora who wish to construct properties here.
Further, he revealed plans for the introduction of a bond, specifically targeting the Diaspora. Money accrued from these bonds, he said, can be used to issue soft loans at low interest rates to entrepreneurs.
This initiative, he assured Dominicans, will be handled professionally and will include yearly audits and transparency with regards to corporate beneficiaries.
